Switching
Full-fibre installation: what happens and how to prepare
Somebody is coming to your house with a van. The job is smaller than a kitchen fit-out and larger than a parcel. Preparation is mostly being in.
13 min read · Switching
Install day is the part of a switch that still happens in the physical world: a van, a ladder, a conversation about whether the fibre may come through the cupboard under the stairs. Everything else in One Touch Switch is messages. This bit is plaster dust.
Being ready is not a personality
What they are actually fitting
On Openreach FTTP the usual end is an optical network terminal — a small white box — and a router that talks to it. On an alt-net the box looks different and the brand on the van is different. The physics is the same idea: light to the premises, electronics on the wall, Wi-Fi as a separate argument you should not dump on the engineer at minute 90.
Ask where the box will live. Do not ask the engineer to redesign the British broadband industry before lunch.
Why the first visit fails
| Cause | Whose job |
|---|---|
| Nobody in, nobody with a key | Yours |
| Blocked duct, no blown fibre | The network’s — another visit |
| Communal frame needs a different ticket | Building + network |
| You needed a different drop than the survey guessed | Both of you, with a new date |
A failed visit is not automatically compensation, and it is not automatically your fault. Ask what the next job is called, and whether you need to do anything before it. “They’ll be in touch” is not a date.
Do not make it a Wi-Fi appointment
The engineer is there to land light in a box. Mesh, channel width and the upstairs dead zone are a Saturday you can have later. If you try to redesign radio while they are drilling the architrave, both jobs go badly. Get the ONT on the wall. Test the line wired. Then argue with the house.
Questions
- How long does a full-fibre install take?
- A straightforward visit can be a couple of hours. Blocked ducts, internal drilling and communal frames take longer or need a second visit.
- Will they drill the wall?
- Often yes, for a new drop. Agree the route. If you rent, check the tenancy before anyone drills the front of the building.
- Can I move the appointment?
- Yes, with notice. Moving it at the last minute can look like a missed appointment — sometimes for you, sometimes for them.
- Do I need to keep the old router?
- Until the new line is proven. Then return what the losing provider asked for, on time, or pay for it.
- Can they refuse a location I want?
- Yes, if the drop, the bend radius or the power socket makes it a bad job. Negotiate. Do not surprise them at minute 80 with a marble fireplace.
- Do I need to empty the loft?
- Only if that is the agreed route. Ask the day before. Lofts, crawl spaces and meter cupboards are how first visits fail.
Sources
- Openreach customer install notes
- Alt-net typical FTTP install practice
Figures move. Prices, coverage and eligibility must be confirmed with the provider. OneTouchSwitch is not Ofcom, TOTSCo or a broadband network. Last fact-checked 10 September 2026.
Continue in this issue
Switching
16 min read · Switching
Switching
Inside a One Touch Switch
You do not cancel first. You choose a new provider. They run the switch. The rest is messages, dates and the things that still sit outside the rules.
Home
13 min read · Home
Home
Broadband in a new-build home: getting your address connected
A new house can have a socket and no service. The developer’s broadband slide is not an order. Treat the plot as an address that does not exist until it does.
Home
14 min read · Home
Home
Full fibre in flats: permissions, wayleaves and installation
A house is a door. A flat is a building. Fibre has to be allowed through someone else’s wall. That permission has a name, and it is why Tuesday slipped to next month.
Practical guides